The Alive Poets Society
by B-Rated
Summary: Todd's timid view on life is turned upside down with a new notion of his roommate and is stretched even further with his new English teacher.


Welcome to my first ever DPS fanfiction. It's basically just the movie through Todd's POV and a thrown in romance with him and Neil. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

The halls of Welton Academy slumbered in their darkness much like the boys in their beds. The school was deeply submerged into the night like the bodies into dreams, save for two.

Todd stared at the wall, being sure not to move or breath out of the slow and steady rhythm of someone sleeping. A sharp contrast to the heavy pants and breathy groans of his roommate.

Logically Todd was sympathetic. Neil was under a lot of stress and frustration, his dad dictating his life, but he had the same obligation to his parents and he wasn't taking it out on himself through furious beating sessions. Not to mention when he did have those moments they sure weren't had while his roommate was in.

Neil was just tactless, assuming Todd asleep and himself free to his own devices.

With an exasperated and self muffled groan, and fading dry breaths, Todd concluded he might actually sleep tonight.

The bed to the opposite wall creaked with the weight of a body shifting within its confines. The sound was followed with complete and utter silence.

Todd listened carefully to the sounds of Neil's breath, calm, asleep. Finally. He sighed and turned to lay on his back, his arm long ago had fallen into the pit of pins.

He cautiously moved his head to glance over at his roommate. He wore the face of a satisfied individual, flushed, content, post-orgasm bliss.

Todd sighed again and looked at the ceiling. He decided to recite the prefixes in his head. Res, Rel, Rei, Rem, Re, Rex, Regis, Regi, Regem… He hadn't even finished the Rs before falling asleep.

The following morning the routine continued. Get dressed, eat breakfast, go to class. Then to the next class.

He walked into English, sitting towards the windows and away from the other boys, feeling like an outsider observing their conversations or antics, never having the voice to join.

Their voices died when Mr. Keating walked into the room. He whistled a tune, weaved around the desks and out the other door.

Todd had never seen such a radical behavior from a teacher. He didn't know what to think. When the professor came back and offered some instruction it did little to ease his confusion.

He had them listen to the pictures in the front hall. The objective wasn't missed on Todd by any means but the method of teaching it shocked him.

Something was different about Mr. Keating and he wasn't entirely sure how to digest it.

Neil on the other hand was ecstatic. All he could say was carpe diem, it was decidedly his new philosophy.

That night Neil practically pleaded with him to join the study group. He was forced to decline. He just didn't feel comfortable with it. He was the new kid, he didn't want to tread on a group that had been in progress for awhile. So instead he did his school work on his own.

As he sat as his desk though all he could think about was the English lesson. All men will be dust. All we are is food for worms, all we have is the day, this day, for tomorrow we are no longer. This time on Earth is fleeting. Thoughts kept spinning in his head.

All he had was that moment and it was already decided he was to be a lawyer.

He looked at the blank page of his note book, screaming to be filled. He wrote, "seize the day." Maybe just to see it and have all these thoughts again, to be inspired for once in his life.

With a sigh he ripped it out, being inspired meant being willing to do something about it.

When Neil came back to the room Todd was reclined against his headboard. He snapped closed the poetry book and tossed it towards his desk.

Neil deposited his own books on his own desk and began to prepare for bed. His tie had long since been just a mere memory of one and first buttons undone, shirt tails untucked. "What was that?" Neil looked towards the quickly discarded book.

"Just some night reading," Todd answered best he could muster.

Neil didn't inquire any further, finished disrobing and crawled into bed.

Todd did the same, turning out the lights before descending under his own covers.

He had been reading a poem about a beautiful women, at least he thought it was. He could see her and all the curves the author wrote on.

He laid on his bed staring at his vision, a woman, a beautiful, naked woman. His head turned to look at his neighbor in the dark. The back of Neil's head stared back at him.

With a soft sigh he closed his eyes. There had to be something to this. This thrill of being caught. He looked at Neil again for confirmation then quickly back to the ceiling.

The quiet room creaked, a hushed breath murmured within it, the voice of a man facing effort. Todd's groans echoed off the walls, each one the spike of fear that he had awoken his roommate until his mind became too muddled to care.

Neil's bed squeaked as its owner rolled over, "You okay?"

Todd froze, dead in the darkness.

"Sounds like you're crying," Neil went on.

Todd swallowed a thick breath, "I'm not."

He heard Neil's bed protest another movement. Todd could just invasion Neil laying propped up on his elbow, he was too afraid to look the other boy's direction. "It's okay," he attempted to reassure, "this place is sort of hard. It helps to have friends though."

"I'm not crying," Todd shared.

There was a moment's pause. "Oh," another metal creak, "sorry."

Todd sighed with a certain amount of frustration. He turned his head, seeing the back of Neil's again. He knew the other boy was awake though. That he would be heard no matter how hard he contained himself. Neil would feel as he had staring at the wall, listening.

He closed his eyes and tried to bring back the image of the beautiful woman, instead all that came to mind was Neil. He turned his head once more to his roommate. He had seen him in nothing but a thin layer of jockey shorts.

The recollected image shot a spark up his spine, an immediate shock following. He quickly turned his sight skyward again. Neil's chest though missing famine qualities did have its attributes he supposed and flesh was universal, warm, soft, and he knew Neil's sent better than an imaginary woman's.

His eyes drifted closed. He felt a little guilty, using Neil like this when he was in the same room, listening to his groans and heavy breaths. Maybe he would be able to tell. Maybe he was no longer just listening but watching his own name form on Todd's lips.

Another hot spark, another wave, another shudder, and a final groan.

The room echoed its simplified silence moments later. Todd rolled to look at his dorm mate, trying to recall if all he had done was merely mouth the name and not say it aloud. A certain amount of panic had settled over the issue. He didn't want to say something only to find the boy asleep or not say anything and find a horrible morning awaited him.

With a concluded thought he rolled back over. Perhaps if things were not voiced already he had no reason for concern.

Again he repeated prefixes to aid him in falling asleep, "Amo, Amas, Amat, Amamns, Amatis…"


End file.
